Demon Slayer tells the story of Kamado Tanjiro who became a Demon Slayer after his family had been slaughtered and his sister, Kamado Nezuko, turned into a Demon. Throughout his journey, Tanjiro encountered a lot of Demons, some more powerful than others. Either way, both are connected with Japanese mythology.
Historically, Japanese people worshipped many fearsome Demons and gods, and some still do to this day. A lot of these beings can be linked to a variety of characters that exist in Demon Slayer; for example, those listed below.
9 Muzan Kibutsuji: Nurarihyon
Nurarihyon is a mysterious and powerful yokai in Japanese folklore. It is treated as the elder and leader at all yokai gatherings. Known as “the Supreme Commander of All Monsters,” every Demon listens to Nurarihyon’s commands and pays it the utmost respect.
In Demon Slayer, Muzan Kibutsuji, also known as the Demon King, was the first human to convert, and is forbearer of all Demons. He can control all those who drink his blood to become Demons — with a few exceptions. Muzan is also the leader of the Twelve Kizuki, an organization of the twelve strongest Demons.
Both Nurarihyon and Muzan are considered leaders among their kind. Also, both have followers that are loyal and pay them the greatest esteem. However, looks can be deceiving. The yokai takes the form of an old man with a giant head, while Muzan resembles a normal male human most of the time.
8 Nakime: Biwa-Bokuboku
The Biwa-bokuboku is a humanlike being with a head that is a traditional Biwa, a short-necked wooden lute. When the Biwa's owner abandons it, the instrument will come to life to express sadness. This yokai sings at night and sits calmly in a tatami room.
In Demon Slayer, Nakime was a popular Biwa performer before becoming a Demon. After transforming, her Blood Demon Art took the form of an extra-dimensional space that let her control the environment, which takes the form of an infinite fortress. Her Biwa is used as a medium for her Blood Demon Art. Furthermore, when Nakime strums the instrument, she can manipulate and change the space in her fortress to her liking.
7 Tongue Demon: Akaname
Akaname's natural habitat is unclean houses, especially bathrooms. These yokai come out at night to lick up the grime in these areas with its extremely long, sticky tongue.
The Tongue Demon in Demon Slayer used to live in the Tsuzumi Mansion. His most notable feature is his extremely long tongue that allows him to perform his Flesh Manipulation. The Tongue Demon can control the length, speed, and sharpness of his tongue, which allows him to slice anything with ease. Though Akaname and the Tongue Demon share this feature, each one uses it for a different purpose.
6 Yahaba: Tenome
Tenome is a yokai that appeared in the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by Toriyama Sekien, an illustration book that was published in 1776. It takes the appearance of an elderly person with no eyes on their face; instead, it has eyes in the palms of its hands. This yokai is quick and has a powerful sense of smell, which helps it capture its victims in the dark.
In Demon Slayer, Yahaba was a demon that had great respect for Muzan and fulfilled his every need. He appears to be a young man with eyes on his hands, which allow him to use his senses to track anyone's location accurately. This is called Enhanced Hearing.
Other than the obvious shared physical feature, both Yahaba and the Tenome have a weak vision and need to use another sense to catch their target. In addition, they have the same diet: humans.
5 Susamaru: Ashura
Ashura is a demon or a god from Japanese mythology. It may be human-like in appearance, but its size, strength, and multiple arms distinguish it from other beings. Ashura has a lust for battle and loves to destroy things. They have a constant desire to be better than others, no patience for those weaker than them, and a preference to solve problems with violence.
Susamaru is usually seen with Yahaba in Demon Slayer, as they are partners that complete missions together. Although she normally has an average build, Susamaru's body becomes more muscular when fighting seriously. Because she loves the thrill of a fight, Susamaru sometimes uses her Flesh Manipulation and grows four more arms — much like Ashuru.
4 Kyogai: Raijin
Raijin is the Japanese god born of death and can control thunder, lightning, and storms. Although it brings rain to the world, it’s always followed by chaos and destruction. Raijin flies across the sky on dark clouds and throws lightning onto unsuspecting people below. This god of thunder is always seen with a traditional Buddhist halo made from drums. This halo surrounds all of Raijin, who uses it to create thunder.
Kyogai, also known as the Drum Demon in Demon Slayer, used to be the Lower-Rank Six in the Twelve Kizuki but got kicked out by Muzan after becoming weak. He has many unique physical characteristics, but the most distinctive one is the drums that are embedded in six different parts of his body: stomach, shoulders, hips, front chest, and back.
Kyogai uses these drums for his Blood Demon Art Technique, Drumming. If the Demon plays his drums, he can rotate rooms, perform slash attacks, and teleport from a room to another. In this way, he bears similarity to Raijin, who also uses drums to call forth power. Additionally, both god and Demon cause destruction and chaos.
3 Spider Family: Tsuchigumo
Tsuchigumo is the name for a race of spider-like yokai. It lives in the forest or mountains and can grow to a monstrous size. The Tsuchigumo uses its strings to catch large prey, particularly humans.
In Demon Slayer, the Spider Family is a fake family created by Rui, one of the Twelve Kizuki’s Demons. It consists of Father Spider Demon, Mother Spider Demon, and their children. All have white, pale skin and can use spider threads/strings to attack enemies. Father Spider has a unique trait in that face resembles that of a giant spider, with several eyes and spider pincers on both of his cheeks. Also, when he gets serious, Father Spider can shed a layer of his skin and grow in size, exactly like the Tsuchigomo does in folklore.
2 Kokushibo: Tsukuyomi
Tsukuyomi is the Japanese god of the moon and the estranged brother/husband of the sun goddess Amaterasu. It is a proud god and believes in order and etiquette and enforces them. Its enforcement of such ideals extends to the point of murder to maintain order, which was the reason for his exile. After Tsukuyomi killed a fellow goddess, the Uke Mochi, its wife/sister labeled its husband an evil god, unworthy of returning to the Heavens. This was the origin of day and night.
The demon Kokushibo was a human by the name of Michikatsu Tsugikuni. He was a former Demon Slayer and the twin brother of Yoriichi Tsugikuni. He’s usually respectful towards the Twelve Kizuki; however, despite displaying humility, Kokushibo was also rather cold. His threats were cruel and serious, and he demanded absolute obedience. His combat style, Moon Breathing, which allows him to create and manipulate multiple crescent moon-shaped blades from his Flesh Katana.
Both Tsukuyomi and Kokushibo value order and respect, and may resort to inhumane ways to enforce their beliefs. In addition, Kokushibo’s fighting style is Moon Breathing, further reinforcing his connection to the god of the moon itself.
1 Yoriichi Tsugikuni: Amaterasu
As described above, Amaterasu is the sun goddess and married to Tsukuyomi, its brother and the god of the moon. It is also the daughter of creator deities, Izanagi and Izanami, and is important to the Shinto religion. Historically, some Japanese nobility have claimed that they are Amaterasu's descendants and thus have the right to rule.
In Demon Slayer, Yoriichi Tsugikuni is the twin brother of Michikatsu Tsugikuni and is a calm, respectful, and kind individual. His fighting style is Sun Breathing, which was created by Yoriichi Tsugikumi himself as the original Breathing Style. Thus, both Amaterasu and Yoriichi are related to the sun.
Like the two gods, Michikatsu Tsugikuni and Yoriichi Tsugikuni also have chosen different paths (that of the Demon and the Demon Slayer), developing their respective breathings of the moon and sun. Their relationship to each other, in this way, mirrors that of the gods they were based on.